Adriana's Wish

"Hello?"

"Hi it's me, Jonathan. Is this a bad time?"

Adriana had a huge smile on her face. She and Jonathan had gone on a date two weeks ago and she hadn't heard from him since. He was away on business and thought he wasn't coming home until Tuesday.

"No. I just got Ethan to bed." The moment Adriana said that she knew she'd have some explaining to do. She had conveniently forgotten to mention to him that she had a son. Now she had to explain this to him, and over the phone.

"Who's Ethan?"

"Um, he's my son." Adriana waited for the reaction. She had tried dating the first few months after the divorce was final, but it never worked out. The moment guys found out she was a single mom, she was classified as 'damaged goods'.

"Oh that's so sweet. I hope I didn't wake him up. I can call back at another time."

"No. It's fine. He's asleep now."

"I got home a little while ago and wanted to call you. Do you want to go see a movie sometime this week?" Jonathan was partly lying. He was actually standing in his front hallway and the first thing he had done the moment he entered his house was to call Adriana. He had wanted to call while on business, but knew that if he did he would only be thinking of her and he needed to stay focused on his work.

"I have Ethan all week. You could come over here though. What about Wednesday?"

"Sure that sounds great. Tell me your address."

Adriana cringed as she gave him her address. She didn't live in the best neighborhood and assumed that Jonathan probably lived in a mansion or condo downtown.

"Bye Jonathan."

"Good bye Adriana."

Adriana settled into bed that night excited and happy. Jonathan was coming over on Wednesday to watch a movie and she couldn't be happier.

***

Wednesday finally came and Adriana rushed home to clean up the house a bit before Jonathan arrived. Her mom was gracious enough to stay and feed Ethan dinner and the moment he was in bed she jumped in the shower. She had barely gotten dressed when the doorbell rang. She ran down the stairs and opened the door. Jonathan was standing at the door with yellow daisies.

"These are for you."

Adriana smiled and welcomed him in. She put the flowers in water and then settled herself on the couch next to Jonathan. They watched the movie in silence. As the movie progressed, Adriana moved closer to Jonathan and by the end credits, Jonathan had his arm around her. She snuggled in and was completely content.

"I should be going. We both have to work tomorrow."

Adriana sat up. She knew he was right, but neither one of them wanted this to end. They got up reluctantly and she walked him to the door.

"I had a good night Adriana. Thank you." Jonathan wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he didn't. He had no idea why he held back, but he did. Adriana wanted to kiss him, but she was scared. She didn't want to move too fast and the fact he was willing to wait made it better. Jonathan left her house. As he glanced back, he saw the red haired beauty that had caught his eye only a few weeks before.

Adriana went to bed happy and slept so soundly that she slept through her alarm the next morning. Ethan jumping on the bed woke her up. She opened her eyes and saw her son bouncing on his knees.

"I want pirates. I want pirates." Adriana laughed. This was her son's name for Captain Crunch cereal. She got out of bed and began her routine for the day.

As Adriana taught her last class of the day, all she could think of was Jonathan. She wondered if it would be too forward to call him so soon, but at the same time she had wanted to call him during the day. She was so happy and even the art teacher across the hall from her had commented on how happy she looked. Adriana blushed and tried not to act like a schoolgirl. She was giddy with excitement and rushed home so she could call Jonathan.

Adriana was daydreaming about Jonathan on the drive home when her cell phone rang. She answered it and her giddy mood dissipated immediately. It was her lawyer.

***

"He wants what?" Adriana was pacing in her lawyer's office. She had had to call in sick again today and she knew that the office administrator was starting to get suspicious. She had woken up and had rushed into the city as soon as her mom had arrived to take care of Ethan. She stormed into her lawyer's office and was upset that she had to sit for over thirty minutes while the staff had their regular morning meeting. When she was finally able to meet with her lawyer, she was pissed.

"Adriana calm down. You share custody of Ethan. Originally he was making more then you, but that has changed. You both earn the same amount so there is no longer a need for him to give you support payments. You also received the house."

"He didn't contest that part of the agreement. I have a huge mortgage payment I have to make on the house plus all the utilities. I wanted the house so Ethan would have some semblance of a normal life."

"I'm sorry Adriana, but there is nothing that can be done. The support payments will end at the end of the month. I would suggest you agree. If not, he might ask for half the worth of the house as well."

"You've got to be kidding me! He was the one that was out fucking my sister!"

Adriana's lawyer tried to stay calm. This was one of the issues with being a divorce lawyer. Divorces from a legal standpoint were just a dissolvent of a contract and a division of assets. For the individuals involved it was a tragic part of their emotional life. . "I'm sorry Adriana."

Adriana cried all the way home. Her eyes were red and swollen by the time she entered the house and she was thankful her mom had taken Ethan for a walk. She rushed to the bathroom and decided she wanted a nice long bath. When Jason and she were shopping around for homes, she had fallen in love with the bathroom. It was a large room with two windows. White candles surrounded the large roman tub and the tile was a brown marble that made it look like a Greek bathhouse. Adriana still joked that if she could live in one room for the rest of her life it would be her bathroom. She turned the water on and added a generous amount of lavender and mint bubble bath. She stripped naked and entered the scolding hot water. Lying back, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

By the time the bath water was lukewarm, Adriana was calm enough to deal with the problems at hand. She would have to cut back on her expenses. This meant no internet or cable. She also decided that selling the house and moving into a small townhouse would be the best idea. She made a mental note to call a real estate agent in the morning. "If only money could fall from the sky." Adriana thought aloud and then realized she didn't have the best luck anyways. By the end of the day, she was back to being fine with the situation at hand.

It was a Saturday morning. Adriana rolled over and saw the time on the clock. It was eleven in the morning. She loved the mornings when she could sleep in. Of course, sleeping in meant Ethan wasn't with her. Ethan was Adriana's three-year-old son. He spent every second weekend with his father and although Adriana missed him a lot she did like the idea of sleeping in and having some time to herself.

Adriana got up and had a long shower. She cleaned the house from top to bottom and then decided to go get groceries. As she walked up and down the aisles, she started feeling sorry for herself. Her ex-husband, Jason, had decided that since both of them earned the same amount of money that he shouldn't have to pay spousal support. She was the one paying the mortgage on the perfect home they had purchased. She had wanted Ethan to be as undisrupted as possible in regards to the divorce and had decided that at least one familiar home would help him adjust. She had to calculate in her head how much money she was spending. Both her credit cards were maxed out and she had only five twenty-dollar bills in her purse. She needed a lot of items. Her mom took care of Ethan at home. When he was in daycare, she didn't have to buy him lunches, but now she did. Of course, her mom asked to be paid for taking care of her grandson, even though it was less then her old day care provider. In the end, she wasn't saving any money and figured she was probably spending more.

She got to the check out and heard her cell phone ring. She answered and immediately a smile lit up her round face. Jonathan was on the phone. She and Jonathan weren't really dating. I mean they had never kissed and their dates were only once every few weeks.

"Hi Jonathan."

"Hi Adriana. Listen I'm flying home tomorrow afternoon. I know you said you don't have Ethan this weekend. I was wondering if you could pick me up at the airport and then we could go to dinner?"

Adriana's mind was spinning. The airport was on the other side of the city and the parking rates were criminal. There was no way she could afford to drive out there and pay the parking fees.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Jonathan was taken aback by the reaction. She normally loved spending time with him and she was always eager to see him. Now all of a sudden she didn't want to.

"Oh, O.K. Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah there is. I don't have money for parking." There she had said it. They had never spoken about finances and since she lived in a pretty big house and had a nice car she was sure that he had no idea about her financial troubles.

"I'll pay. I'll charge the company. Can you pick me up at two?"

"Yeah, sure. Sorry I'm so crabby today."

"It's O.K. We'll talk when I get in."

Adriana hung up the phone and put her groceries into the trunk of the car. The rest of her weekend was boring. She left for the airport and was ten minutes early for his flight. When Jonathan walked through the terminal, she smiled. He was so tall and very handsome. He walked over to her and hugged her tight.

"I'm so glad to see you. I missed you."

"You missed me?"

"Yeah I did. I only have my carry on. Let's get out of here and go for dinner."

Adriana nodded and before she knew it, they were back in her car and heading into the city. He called ahead and made reservations at a classy French restaurant. Adriana was thankful she had dressed nicely. She was wearing a pink dress with white sweater. They entered the restaurant and were seated at the back near the windows.

"So what's up with your money situation?"

Adriana coughed. "Excuse me?"

"You know if you ever needed money you could just ask. We're friends aren't we?"

Jonathan was glancing down at the menu. He had wanted to be casual about this topic and figured not making a big deal out of it would be best. He figured that Ethan's father was probably not paying her child support and he knew that on a teacher's salary, she was probably just getting by. Jonathan was shocked when she responded by bursting into tears. Jonathan moved around to the other side of the table and held her tight. Her whole body was shaking and Jonathan just held on for dear life. He knew that her tears were wetting the expensive silk tie, but he didn't care. Adriana needed him and after a few minutes she stopped crying.

"I just need to go to the lady's room." Adriana rushed off and while she was gone, Jonathan ordered for both of them. By the time Adriana had returned, the drinks were on the table along with some bread.

"Please tell me what is happening. I want to know as a friend." Jonathan reached over and squeezed Adriana's hand. From the first day they met, he was intrigued with her and had come to truly care of her. He wanted only the best and would do everything and anything for her.

"My ex-husband used to pay me child support, but now, according to his lawyer, he makes the same amount as me so I'm not owed anything. The problem is that I kept the house and now have to pay mortgage and utility payments. He also only takes Ethan on weekends even though the court thinks he has him all week as well. It's just a daily struggle. I appreciate you taking me out for dinner. Thank you."

"Thank you for telling me. I know you're too proud to ask for money, but if you need anything just ask."

Adriana smiled and they enjoyed the rest of the dinner. She drove him home. She had never been to his house before and found that he owned a home in the expensive Rockcliffe Estates. She stopped the car and turned to face him. He did the same and they moved in for a kiss.

The moment their lips touched something strange happened. There was no electricity. There were no feelings. It was strange. Jonathan's lips were warm and soft and felt good. Adriana's lips were a bit wet from her lipstick and he could taste the strawberries they had had for dessert. They hung on, hoping that something would spark between them. After a few seconds, they pulled apart. They looked at each other and their eyes spoke volumes. There was nothing sexual going on between them. They were friends and nothing more.

Adriana was relieved since she was scared of doing anything with Jonathan for fear it would turn out like every other relationship she had had after the divorce was final. Jonathan was equally relieved, but for a very different reason. He really didn't want to tell Adriana about his issues, but this made things less complicated. Finally, Jonathan spoke.

"That was weird."

"Yeah."

"I think that answered my question about whether I want to date you or just be friends."

"Yeah, I agree."

Adriana watched as Jonathan made his way up the interlocking pathway. She drove home in silence. She entered the empty house and headed up to bed. She fell asleep thinking of her evening. She was happy at least that both of them felt the same way.

Jonathan entered his home and dropped his bag on the ground. He walked up the stairs and undressed. As he slipped under the covers, he made a mental note to call his lawyer in the morning. He needed to do something to make sure that Adriana was taken care of. Her situation wasn't fair and he wanted to see if his lawyer could do something.

Adriana was woken up in the middle of the night. Her cell phone was ringing. It took her a while for her brain to start functioning. When she finally sat up, her phone had stopped ringing. The clock was glaring at her and told her it was two in the morning. She sat up and stared at her phone. If someone was leaving a message the icon would show up. Adriana's heart leapt when the icon showed up. Whatever the message, she knew that a phone call at two in the morning was bad, very bad.

Adriana ran her voice mail and put in her code. She listened to the message. She gasped and held her hand over her mouth. At this very moment, she had a million emotions running through her head. She needed to get to the hospital and she needed to get there now. She got up and began to get dressed. She then remembered Ethan. How could she have forgotten her son? Her sweet three-year-old child was sound asleep in his room. She couldn't leave him alone and she didn't want to wake him up either. She wouldn't dare call her mother and there was no one else she could call. She stood outside Ethan's room and tried to compose herself. She couldn't believe how her life was spiraling out of control. She finally decided to call Anita. Anita used to be Ethan's day care provider until Adriana could no longer pay her on time. Adriana had one hundred dollars in her wallet, which was to be used for groceries. She would give Anita that money if she would come over and watch Ethan. It was an emergency.

Twenty minutes later, Anita was standing at her door. She wasn't smiling, but her face showed her concern.

"Thank you. Here. Take this." Adriana held out the money to Anita.

"Just go. I hope the accident wasn't serious." Adriana nodded and rushed to get to the hospital.

She rushed into emergency and got to the front desk.

"I'm looking for Jonathan Adams. I got a phone call a few hours ago."

The lady in white behind the desk scanned her computer screen.

"I'm sorry there is no Jonathan Adams registered. Are you sure he was admitted to Emergency?"

"Um. A nurse just called me and told me I was his contact."

The lady behind the desk typed in some information.

"He's on the fourth floor. Oncology."

Adriana gripped the counter for balance. Her head was spinning. Oncology. She was so confused. She assumed that Jonathan had been in a car accident or something. She figured that she was the last phone number called on his cell phone and that was why she had been contacted. She raced up the stairs and found the nurse's desk.

"Jonathan Adams. Where is he?"

"And you are?"

"I'm Adriana Vicers. A nurse called me an hour ago. I thought he was in a car accident. I went to emergency, but they said he wasn't there. Why is he in the oncology department?"

"Just a moment dear." The nurse picked up the phone and spoke quietly to someone. Adriana could barely hear what she was saying. As she hung up the phone, a man walked down the hall towards her.

"Are you Ms. Vicers?" Adriana nodded.

"Come with me." The doctor led her down the corridor. As they walked, he spoke quietly. "Mr. Adams had you as his main contact. He checked in yesterday after not feeling well for a few days. Unfortunately, he passed on at one fifty two this morning. I'm sorry for your loss."

Adriana didn't remember what happened next, but the hallway began to spin. Everything went white and then black. The next thing she knew, she felt a cold cloth on her forehead. She opened her eyes and was sitting in a chair in the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you to sit down before I told you. Do you want to see him?"

Adriana nodded. She was led into a room where a sheet covered a body. Her whole body was numb and she felt cold and hot at the same time. She wasn't crying and really had no idea why she wasn't. Her heart was breaking. Jonathan had never told her he was sick. They really had never spoken much about him. Every time they got together he would always ask how things were going, but she was too rude to ask the same. She felt like a complete bitch. Why didn't she ask him?

The next few days were a blur for Adriana. She had gotten home around seven and was greeted by Anita who was enjoying her time feeding Ethan breakfast. She called in sick again and then fell into bed. She was woken up at four when her mom demanded that she take over since she had important things to do.

She received a phone call from Jonathan's sister later that night. She introduced herself and said that she was there to make funeral arrangements and deal with his estate. Adriana just responded with monotone one-word answers.

The funeral was two days later and she, once again, missed work. She had to tell her principal why she was missing two days in a week and fumbled for the right words to use. Finally, she had explained that a very good friend of hers had passed away. Her principal looked sincerely concerned which was a relief. There was visitation at the funeral parlor, but she had decided not to go. She sat at the back of the church and listened and watched as the funeral began. It was a complete blur and as she walked to her car, she realized she had to get on with her life.

The next few days, Adriana tried to get back into a normal routine. Her mom was still taking care of Ethan during the day and she was spending as much time at work as possible to catch up from all the days she had missed. Missing work when you are a teacher is hell since you have to deal with all the behavior issues that happened while you were gone. Well at least for Adriana that's what she had to deal with. She thought she was all right about everything until one morning when her mom gave her a few dollars and told her she could have her morning breakfast treat. Adriana had rushed out of the house and had barely made it to the car before bursting into tears. She was not going to let her mother see her cry. She cried all the way to work and didn't care if the other teachers saw her with red eyes. She hated the reminders of Jonathan.